Aircraft, spacecraft, and other structures may be impacted by various foreign objects. Examples include debris (such as tire treads, rocks, etc.), hail, micrometeoroids, etc. Breach of the structure could significantly damage internal components and effect structural integrity, even resulting in catastrophic loss of aircraft, spacecraft and other vehicular structures.
Aircraft, spacecraft, and other vehicular structures that carry fuel may experience a breach of fuel containment during a ground impact. A variety of self-sealing fuel bladders and impact containment structures exist with the goal of resisting breach of fuel containment during such events. Known fuel bladders and containment structures designed with such goals in mind are often made of either fabrics or unidirectional fibers. However, a desire exists to reduce the mass of fuel bladders and containment structures while still providing the same breach resistance or increasing breach resistance.
Accordingly, it will be appreciated that more efficient materials to reduce breach of structures would be beneficial for aircraft, spacecraft, and other vehicular structures subject to impact by foreign objects. More efficient materials exhibit a higher specific strength (strength/density), sometimes referred to as the strength-to-weight ratio. Similarly, more efficient breach resistant fuel bladders and containment structures would be beneficial. Materials with higher efficiency maintain or increase resistance to breach with less mass of the structural material compared to known structural materials.